The Public’s Business Must Be Done Publicly

The Estes Valley Fire Protection District and the Estes Park Hospital Boards need to respect the electors in the Estes Valley“It is declared to be a matter of statewide concern and the policy of this state that the formation of public policy is public business and may not be conducted in secret.” C.R.S. §24-6-101 (Colorado Sunshine Act of 1972)On Oct. 17 the Estes Valley Voice asked the Estes Valley Fire Protection District for the minutes and the recording of the executive session meeting held on Oct. 9. During that meeting the EVFPD board of directors met to interview three candidates for the job of fire chief and then discussed which candidate to hire. According to the Colorado Open Meetings Law, a public agency or special district governing board’s decisions cannot be made in executive session meetings. Minutes must be taken of executive sessions and a recording of the executive session must be made and maintained for 90 days.The EVFPD board of directors notified the members of the fire district on Oct. 10 that a new chief, Paul Capo, had been chosen, and then, on Oct. 15, the EVFPD announced that Capo would be the new fire chief.The Estes Valley Voice told the EVFPD board that, as required by CORA, we expected the records to be shared with us within three business days. After that time, we would file a lawsuit in the Larimer County District Court and ask the court to conduct an in camera review of the minutes and the recording of the executive session meeting related to how the Estes Valley Fire Protection District decided to hire Capo as the next fire chief. The Estes Valley Voice does not object to the selection of Capo to serve as the next chief. He is a dedicated firefighter who has demonstrated a willingness to take the job seriously. Capo has built an impressive training program for EVFPD that educates firefighters from the Estes Valley and many surrounding communities. The Estes Valley is fortunate to have Capo step up to serve as the chief and, considering the myriad problems in the department over the past two years, the community should rally behind Capo as its new chief...Read full story here:https://estesvalleyvoice.com/2024/10/23/the-publics-business-must-be-done-publicly/Visit Estesvalleyvoice.com